Wednesday, June 27, 2012

In honor of the Wimbledon tennis tournament (June 25 - July 8) I am posting a postcard with what I think is a tennis racket and ball. It doesn't look like any racket I have seen, but I think the artist intended to represent a tennis racket.

This postcard has an example of a floral object. The object is covered with small flowers. The most common flowers used on cards of this type are roses, violets, and forget-me-nots. Some fine examples of floral object postcards are shown on the postcardiva postcard blog.

I found the back of this postcard quite interesting. First, it appears to be a sample card giving sales information for this and similar postcards: Post Card No. 624, Assorted Designs 12 for 12 cts. Second, the message written by a schoolgirl looks like it could be a school assignment on how to write a postcard. The phrases written are very typical of those seen on many old postcards. The only bit of news is that the writer has a bad cold (which contradicts the beginning statement that she is well).

Dear schoolmate, I thought I would write and tell you that I am well and hope the same of you. I have a bad cold. Well I guess I will close.Give my love to all the folks.With loveFrom you loving schoolmateEmma.

Well, dear bloggers, I guess I will close now with a link to a selection of vintage photos celebrating the sport of tennis. The photos are from Life Magazine and were posted as the 2012 Wimbledon championships were about to begin: Love All: Life Plays Tennis.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Here are two maximum cards with stamps related to the Battle of Bunker Hill that took place on June 17, 1775 during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War. While the result was a victory for the British, they suffered heavy losses. Colonial forces were able to retreat and regroup in good order having suffered few casualties. The battle demonstrated that relatively inexperienced colonial forces were willing and able to stand up to regular army troops in a pitched battle (source: Wikipedia).

The first stamp was issued on June 17, 1959 and is part of the Liberty Issue (1954-1968) Regular Definitive Series. The 2 1/2-cent stamp shows the Bunker Hill Monument and Massachusetts Flag. The 221 feet high Bunker Hill Monument was erected to commemorate the Battle of Bunker Hill. Work on the monument was begun in 1825 and completed in 1843.

The first day of issue cancellation included a pictorial cancel (shown below) which featured a "Minute Man," the symbol of resistance during the Battle of Bunker Hill.

The stamp on the second card is the 10-cent Battle of Bunker Hill commemorative stamp issued on June 17, 1975. The stamp commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill and the U. S. Bicentennial. It was at this battle that the famous command, "Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes" was issued.

The picture on the Battle of Bunker Hill stamp is a detail from a painting "The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill" by John Trumbull. The full painting is shown below the stamp.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

The Century of Progress Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago, Illinois in 1933 and 1934. The first image above is a postcard showing a portion of the Midway amusement area looking south. The steel Cyclone Roller Coaster can be seen on the left side of the picture.

The back of the postcard has this glowing description:

What thrills await the visitor on the Midway! If you have been places and seen things, you'll find that the Midway starts where you left off. Here are bizarre and startling entertainment features. Attractions unheard of to satisfy the thrill seeker. Historic pageants, military maneuvers, sporting events, thrilling masses of color, lighting effects and music. Everything designed to outdo anything ever done before.

I collect Century of Progress postcards and also some of the guides, picture books, and World's Fair Weekly magazines published during the fair. The article Plenty of Fun describes the main midway rides. This article is from the World's Fair Weekly.

The rest of the images in this post are from a book The Official Pictures of A Century Progress Exposition Chicago 1933 published by The Reuben H. Donnelley Corporation. The photographs are by Kaufmann & Fabry Co., official photographers.

The first photo is another view of the midway looking south. The Lindy Loop and the Bozo are shown on the right side of the picture. The Lindy Loop had eight cars holding four passengers each set in a half-moon track arrangement. The cars rocked and rode on an undulating track. The Bozo was a long covered ride resembling a fantastic animal.

The remaining photos show close-up views of some of the other rides.

The Whirlplane had twelve steel arms holding a reproduction of an aeroplane car at the end of each arm, holding two passengers. The plane rested on the ground when it was unloaded. When loaded, it rose like a plane to a height of 15 feet while the base of the ride was revolving.

The Bozo was composed of thirty connected cars holding three passengers each. It was equipped with a head and a tail like an enormous animal. It was more than 200 feet long and could attain a speed of over 50 miles an undulating track. The Bozo roared, had sparks shooting from its nostrils, and blinking eyes.

The Flying Turns was a gravity ride without rails. It had a train of five cars holding two passengers each. The cars were hoisted up to 50 feet and then coasted down a banked half-barrel arrangement.

7-10-56This is really a beautiful place & what food--we will gain 10 lbs. each this week. Weather has been perfect and we are enjoying every minute. Rose is lost with no cooking & dishes so she got sunburned when I was fishing today. No Fish!Rose & Clarence

At that time Breezy Point was Minnesota's largest summer resort with 370 acres, 70 rooms in the Main Lodge, and 65 cottages. There were floor shows, dinner music, and dancing nightly. According to the book Minnesota Vacation Days, they offered a special five-day rate for the July 4th holiday in 1955 for $80 per person that included all meals, dancing, and entertainment.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Here are two postcards of the same model holding a kitten. The poses are quite similar, but seem to express different feelings. I think the one on the left looks like the lady is holding the kitten up as if she is showing him off. The one on the right looks more like the lady is wary or shy (and maybe a little seductive) and is holding the kitten in a protective embrace.

Both of these cards have the EAS (E. A. Schwerdtfeger & Co. of London) trademark and series number in the bottom left corner on the picture side. The card on the left is numbered 3154/3, and the one on the right is numbered 3153/6. The part of the number before the "/" is the series number and the part after the "/" is the card number in the series (this type of series usually had 6 cards with the same or similar subject).

Notice that these two postcards have been printed differently. The one on the left is glossy, contrasty, and has words in English. The one on the right is matte, softer, tinted, and wordless.

The backs of the postcards (shown below) are also different. The first one is the the kind of card I usually see. There is an EAS trademark, and all the words are in English (although the card is printed in Germany). It was mailed in the United States in 1912. The second one has no words on the back, a different trademark in the stamp box, and was probably intended for use in non-English-speaking countries. When I examined the EAS postcards shown on eBay, I found that the used cards with the second type of back were mailed with stamps from various European countries.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

I like the pun and the unusual framing masks on this New Brighton postcard which pairs the expression "suits me to a T" with tea pot and cup shapes. There is no publisher or date on the card. Maybe someone familiar with the location and/or British postcards could supply some information. An enlargement of the image in the cup is shown below.

New Brighton is a seaside resort, and people went there to have fun and forget all about WORK. The large letter WORK postcard below was copied from a video I found full of old New Brighton images: New Brighton & Wallasey - Bygone Days. The WORK postcard and the Tea(T) postcard have the same kind of numbering in the bottom right corner of the picture side, so it is likely they are about the same age and from the same publisher.

Monday, June 4, 2012

This is an illustration of the old Breezy Point Lodge, circa 1937. This lodge opened in 1925. It was built of Norway pine logs. The illustration is signed by Loren Stout and shows the main entrance and Breezy Point hotel buildings. In addition there were 48 modern cottages. This lodge burned to the ground in 1959.

The magnificent Lodge opened on June 10, 1925. Within weeks, it became known as the greatest display of pure extravaganza in the “Minnesota Northwest”. The Lodge became “The Destination” for the rich and famous hosting celebrities such as Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Tom Mix and Jack Dempsey.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

This postcard shows a variety of Soviet stamps. It was published in 1974 to promote stamp collecting. The Russian words in the bottom left corner translate as "Join the members of the All-Union Society of Philatelists. Collect stamps!"

Всесоюзное Общество Филателистов is the All-Union Society of Philatelists.